Their Instant Family
by B00kw0rm92
Summary: With her help, he recovered from His Secret Past. Now with the decision to become foster parents, can they help these little boys recover from their past? / Spixie with OC children / His Secret Past sequel / Warning: Child Abuse
1. Chapter One: My Defenses Hit The Ground

**Their Instant Family**

**Chapter One - My Defenses Hit The Ground And They Shatter All Around**

A small thirteen year old boy carried an even smaller nine year old into the emergency room. He ignored the pain in his own body as he carried his unconscious little brother to help. It wasn't as though anyone else would do it. Truthfully, he shouldn't be able to carry his brother. He guessed it must be adrenaline, he'd had enough experience with that in his young life to not question it anymore. Once his brother was safely in the building, he allowed himself to sink to the floor, still holding the smaller child as he called for help.

The thirteen year old quickly glanced up at his father. He hoped it wasn't as obvious to everyone else as it was to him that the man was drunk. He closed his eyes and tried to gather all his strength. Not only were his father's cover stories even more strange when he was drunk, but his acting skills were greatly inhibited. That meant he had to do the job for two people. He was going to need that acting talent his mom used to say he had.

A pretty brown-haired nurse came running to him. She looked nice and she reminded him a little bit of his mother. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as he thought. "What happened?" the first nurse asked him as others ran to help. He took a deep breath. "He fell down the stairs. It was so scary! Is he ok?" he asked. He could do this, it wasn't all even lies. It was scary and technically, his brother had fallen down the stairs. He'd just had some help doing so. There was also the little fact that not all of the injuries came from that. He closed his eyes for a moment to clear his head. This wasn't anything he couldn't handle, it wasn't as if he hadn't been doing this kind of thing for seven years.

* * *

Spinelli almost felt like laughing. His wife was definitely in her element. To his surprise, when he had gotten up the courage to mention foster parenting to her she had readily agreed. Now, a little over a year after their marriage they were about to take in foster children. He had been very nervous in the beginning when after revealing his past he had been sent to a psychologist. Luckily, it didn't take long before he was basically declared sane. Now, after all the classes and home studies they were finally preparing for the first children to be placed with them. That meant Maxie was decorating.

She was very busy setting up a neutral bedroom that with a few changes she swore could easily be made into a boys room or a girls room. Those "few changes" were already bought and stored in closets. For the most part he had stayed out of her way as she went on a shopping expedition to put most others to shame. Now he was busy putting endless furniture together while she dictated where to put it. Michael had come over to help with this part when he realized just how much Maxie had bought.

He felt a small pang of sadness as he watched his brother walk over to hand him the tools he had asked for. Michael had never gotten over the weakness in his legs and slight limp like they had hoped he would. Michael would never again be the athletic little boy he had once been. No, that had been stolen from him by a stray bullet meant for their father. Michael had been left with the loss of some control in his left leg and an inability to be on his feet for extended periods of time without said leg giving out. But the young teen took it all in stride, as he always had everything else. Sometimes Spinelli thought Michael might be to strong for his own good, because he wasn't to sure all that bravery was real.

Maxie had just stepped out of the room to answer the door and she poked her head in to let the two brother's know that the pizza was here. She felt the same pang of sadness as her husband had a few moments ago as she watched Michael awkwardly run to the kitchen. She was reminded of her own words from almost two years ago, "It seems wrong that someone so little would have to suffer like this.". It had never stopped feeling wrong, because it was. But Michael was an inspiration, nothing could ever bring him down for long. He proved more and more each day how much he had deserved the honor of having Michaela named after him. She knew there were a lot of other little ones suffering like Michael, her husband and so many others had. It was why foster parenting had become so important to her. If she was able to help those children, she certainly was going to.

* * *

As his brother was lifted onto a gurney that same nice looking nurse locked eyes the thirteen year old. "We're going to take care him. Is he your brother?" she gently asked. The boy simple nodded and then held his breath as the nurse turned to his father. "Are you their father?" she questioned, obviously annoyed with his lack of concern. The young teen prayed that she wouldn't be able to smell the beer on his fathers breath, or notice any other signs of the mans drunkenness. It wouldn't matter who messed up, any suspicion about anything would inevitably be his fault. He breathed a small sigh of relief when his father gave a simple "Yes." and managed not to slur it.

After that, his father calmly went to sit in the waiting room. He watched the face of the nurse trying to decide if he should begin covering for his father or if saying something would only make things worse. As she was begining to look rather annoying, he decided to speak up. "He's just worried. He gets like this when he's upset, kinda quite and likes to be alone." he said while pushing the thought that he was lying through his teeth to the back of his mind. The nurse gave him a smile, "Can you tell me your brother's name, sweetie?" she asked. "Benny." the boy replied as he tried to smile back.

She smiled again, "What about your name?". The boy shot a quick glance at his father before replying "Kyle ... Kyle Archer.". They watched as Benny was wheeled off before the woman spoke again. "Well, hello Kyle. My name is Elizabeth." she said. There was silence between the two as she looked him over. Kyle quickly checked himself over as inconspicuously as possible, hoping there wasn't any blood showing through his clothes as he was suddenly worried about his own appearance. Now that the adrenaline was fading the pain was coming back all to quickly and he didn't have much hope that there were no obvious injuries. His father was never careful when he was drunk.

Elizabeth looked worried. "What happened to you, Kyle?" she asked as she took in the visible injuries to the older boy. 'Oh, great!' Kyle thought. He really wanted this nurse to go away as quickly as possible as he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand on his ankle. "I got in a fight. Benny was upstairs and he tried to run down when he saw I was hurt, but he fell." he explained. He'd have to make sure his father knew this more detailed version soon. The nurse took in the still heavily bleeding cut on the boys face and the other injurys before commenting, "Must have been some fight!". Kyle nodded, "An older guy. Real easy to tick off." he replied, wincing internally at the amount of truth in that statement.

Elizabeth nodded in sympathy. "Well, looks like that cut is going to need some stitches. Why don't you come with me?" she said. The boy fought down a wave of panic. "No! I'm ok. Just take care of Benny, please!" he said a little to fast. The nurse knelt in front of the child. "Kyle, that's a really bad cut. It needs to be looked at and we have more then enough doctors and nurses here to take care of you and your brother." she said reassuringly. Kyle closed his eyes for a moment to think it through. Coming to the conclusion that if he fought her on this it would only look more suspicious, he nodded.

He walked over to his father, fighting with all his might not to limp. "Dad, um, the nurse wants to look at the cut I got in that fight. I'll be back soon. I'm so sorry Benny got hurt because of me. I didn't know he'd run down the stairs like that." he said, alerting his father to the addtion to their story. His father gave him a drunken glare that didn't go unnoticed by the nurse before waving him off. The boy sighed. His father certainly was not making this any easier. He went back over to the nurse, who to a combination of his embarrasment and relief insisted that he sit in a wheelchair.

* * *

Spinelli was perfectly content as he sat at the table with his wife and little brother. He didn't think he would ever get to the point where he took family for granted. The simple miracle that was his life would never lose it's specialness. Once he would have laughed if he had been told he was lucky, now he would happily agree. He might not have always been that way, but he certainly was now. And he wanted to be able to share that feeling with children who were in the same position he had been when he was a child. Foster parenting was something he knew he had to do.

They talked pleasantly about anything and everything, although Spinelli made a mental note of the fact that more and more Michael was avoiding talking about school. The little boy did happily discuss a writing project though and so Spinelli assumed that he was simply upset about not being able to be involved in sports like he used to be. They began to trade stories of the last times that had seen Michaela and how cute she was. Michael was determined to have her able to carry on full conversations by the time she turned two and thus spent as much of his free time with her as he did his siblings. Of course, everyone spent as much time with Michaela as they could. Spinelli and Maxie adored their little niece, as that was what they had decided she was, though she was technically not even related to Maxie.

They discussed the fact that Spinelli and Maxie would soon be foster parents and Michael laughed when they pointed out that if they ended up adopting a child, he could end up with a niece or nephew as little as a year younger then him. As always, discussion of children soon turned to Morgan and Kristina. Kristina had gotten a part in a school play and was driving everyone crazy to help her practice, though they usually didn't really mind. Morgan had decided to play little league baseball this year and Michael helped him practice as much as he was able to. Spinelli and Maxie were amazed that he showed no bitterness over the fact that his brother was able to play the sports he had once loved.

Once they finished with supper, Jax came to pick Michael up and Spinelli and Maxie went to put the finishing touches on the room. Somehow that project resulted in a pillow fight which ended with them both laying on the floor and laughing. After straighting up the mess they made, they headed into the living room. As Maxie fliped through the channels on the TV Spinelli kissed her on the cheek. She laughed before kissing him back and they snuggled together on the couch knowing they were as ready as possible for the phone call they could get any minute about a foster child.

* * *

The small teenager sat on a hospital bed nervously starring at a blank wall as the nurse cleaned the cut on his head. "The doctor's here, Kyle." Elizabeth said as she finished wiping the blood of the child's face. She waved the woman in. "She's gonna patch you up and I'll go check on your brother, ok?" she asked. Kyle gave a small nod and the nurse left the room. The doctor walked over to him and smiled. "Hello, Kyle! My name is Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake. Let's see how bad that cut is." she told him.

As the young doctor fixed the cut on the childs face she took note of the same injuries that Elizabeth had. Injuries that didn't look to have come from a simple fight. Before she could say anything to the child another nurse walked in and whispered something to her. Her face showed vivid anger for a second before she turned back to the child. Smiling again at the child in an attempt to make him more comfortable, she began speaking calmly and gently. "Can you take your shirt off for me for just a minute? I need to make sure you didn't break any ribs in that fight." she asked, trying to keep any hint of disbelief in his story out of her words.

The boy took in a sharp breath and then worked quickly to hide his panic. "No, ma'am. I'm fine. Really. It's just the cut and a couple bruises." he said much to fast to be believed. Robin smiled again, continuing to play along. "I know it's annoying, but I just need to make sure you're ok. It won't take long just to check." she said with yet another smiled. Kyle's brain went into overdrive. 'If I take off my shirt she'll see ... that's what the other nurse told her! Dad had his belt off when Benny ... oh, no!' he thought. Thoughts ran frantically through his mind before he finally came to what seemed like the only thing left to do.

He slowly lifted his shirt off, being careful of his left arm which was suddenly hurting an awful lot. He winced as he peeled the shirt off the wounds on his back, both in pain and in the realization that blood had been visible. He heard the quiet gasp that the doctor tried to mask when she saw the now visible wounds. He continued starring at the wall. He could feel the injuries, he didn't need to see them as well. He closed his eyes as he spoke in a voice almost to quite to be a whisper, "Please help us.".

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, there you have it. The first chapter of the His Secret Past chapter! Hopefully, the other chapter will all be close to this size. Who knows, some may even be bigger! I really, really hope you guys like it! Please let me know what you think.

*Song lyric used in title is from Lindsey Haun's "Broken".


	2. Chapter Two: I Have Been There Too

**Chapter Two - I Can Tell You Now, That I Have Been There Too:**

Maxie had first been annoyed at whoever had called them so early in the morning but as she listened to her husband on the phone, she quickly realized what it must be about. She raced about the room mentally adding up the details Spinelli kept repeating for her. Two brothers, nine and thirteen, she couldn't wait to meet them. Suddenly she heard something that made her stop. "How badly are they hurt?" he husband quietly asked the person on the other end of the phone. She felt a pang of sympathy for the children who would soon be living under their roof. She silently vowed - again that she and her husband would give their foster children the best lives possible while they could.

Spinelli hung up the phone and sank to the couch. "Well?" Maxie said. He sighed, "Two young boys. Kyle is thirteen years old and his younger brother, Benjamin - called Benny - is nine. Their father is abusive. They both had rather severe injuries. She said it would be best to get the details of their wounds from the doctor - Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake to be exact." he explained. "Robin! Well, that will be easy. I hope they're ok." she said, starting off excitedly and then ending in genuine worry for the children. With that, they both headed out the door.

* * *

A small little boy sat alone in a hospital bed, covered in bandages. His eyes snapped to the door as it began to open. Relief flooded his face when he saw who it was. "Benny!" the other boy cried as he leaned as far out of his wheelchair as possible to hug his little brother. The nurse smiled as she stepped out of the room to give the brothers a moment together. "Are you alright?" the older boy franticly asked. Benny nodded, "I guess. I'm scared, Kyle." he said softly. Kyle look up from examining his brother after realizing he couldn't quite tell how bad the injuries were due to the bandages. "I am too. There wasn't any kind of choice though, belt marks don't look like they came from falling down the stairs." Kyle explained. Benny nodded again.

The youngest child played with the hem of his blanket before speaking again. "Where ... where are we gonna go now? What's gonna happen." he asked as a tear fell down his face. Kyle took a deep breath and glanced around the room nervously. "Um, they said there's a set of foster parents coming. I guess we'll go with them once they let us out of here. Dad got arrested last night." he said in an attempt to answer his brother's question. "What?!?" Benny asked, looking up sharply from his hands. "Yeah. I ... I had to talk to the police." the older boy answered with a shudder. Benny grabbed his brother's hand and the two boys shared a look that said everything words could not.

As the nurse watched through the window it seemed like the deep bond between the brothers was almost visible. What shocked her even more was the fact that the younger brother was talking. The child had not said a word since he was brought in. The hospital's psychiatrist walked over and joined her friend in watching the children. "I've been given their case, you know?" she said. "Hey, Lainey. Yeah, Robin told me." Elizabeth said as she nodded. "From what I've been told, they've depended only on each other for most of their lives. Getting them to trust someone else will be a challenge." the other woman observed.

"Did you know that challenge will be mostly in Spinelli and Maxie's hands?" the nurse asked. "They're the foster parents? I wasn't told that yet." Lainey responded. The nurse gestured over towards the social worker who was currently questioning Robin again. "She just called them. They'll be their first foster children. I hope they're up to the challenge." she commented. Lainey smiled, "They will be. If anyone can help those kids it's them. They'll be good for them." she declared. Elizabeth nodded, "Well for one thing, I can't think of anyone who is easier to trust then Damian Spinelli.".

Lainey nodded back, "That and the fact that he shares a similar past ... you knew that, right?" she asked. Elizabeth shook her head yes. "The entire hospital knows, remember Maxie's little rant?" she said. Lainey raised her eyebrows and then fought back a smile, it really was almost funny to look back on, the tiny woman verbally destroying the feared mob boss - ex-mob boss. Though when you remembered why the rant had taken place, it wasn't very funny. "Oh, yes. How could I forget that!" was the reply. Elizabethseemed to think for a minute. "Didn't someine put the security camera video on youtube somehow?" she asked.

* * *

The young couple rushed into the hospital and headed straight for Robin. "Robin!" Maxie called as soon as she saw her. "Hey, guys! What do you need?" Robin asked as she walked over to him. "The little boys, young Benny and Kyle. We are to be their foster parents. Do you know where they social worker has gone?" Spinelli questioned. Robin pulled them into a corner. "She's talking with Kyle at the moment. Benny's been taken for some more tests." she told the concerned pair.

"How badly are they hurt?" Maxie asked her cousin. The doctor took a deep breath. "They both have at least one broken bone and several broken ribs. They seem to have had a belt taken to them. And ... gosh, I'm not sure I've ever seen kids so beaten up." she said softly. Tears came into both Maxie and Robin's eyes and Spinelli felt overwhelming empathy for the children. Spinelli called up a bit of courage. "If we are to be their foster parents, we need to know the details of their injuries so we can best care for them." he said reasonably.

Robin nodded in understanding before continuing. "Kyle has a broken wrist and three broken ribs, he's also has some damage to his ankle, but it's not broken and should heal fast. There are hand shaped bruises on his arms and neck as well as welts that look to be from a belt and way to many bruises. Benny was pushed down a flight of stairs. He's got a broken arm, leg and four broken ribs. He has welts and bruises similar to his brother's as well and they still aren't sure there are no internal injuries, that's what they are checking for now. The one stroke of luck they got was that there seems to be no spinal damage." she said sadly. "Oh, those poor babies!" Maxie exclaimed. Spinelli stayed silent, vowing that he would give those children the help he never got as a child.

Before they could fully grasp the injuries to the children about to be handed over to them, a woman walked out of a hospital room and headed straight for them. "Are you the foster parents? Mr. and Mrs. Spinelli?" she asked. "Yes, are you the social worker?" Maxie asked as she held out her hand, the woman shook it before responding. "My name is Anne Carson. I will be the social worker for the children's case. I assume you have spoken to the doctor about their injuries." she said. "Yes, their doctor is actually my cousin." Maxie informed the social worker. "Small world." Ms. Carson remarked.

"We don't know much at this time about the children except for the basics. Kyle is thirteen years old, born January 15th 1997 and he is in seventh grade gifted classes. Benny is nine years old, born October 7th 2000. He is in fourth grade and is also in gifted classes, their father seemed to insist on high grades. Their mother died in 2003 in a car accident. All we have been able to get out of Kyle is that their father flew into a drunken rage upon seeing that he had received a low A on a test. By the time Benny walked in, the father was choking him and Benny stopped him but Kyle passed out. When Kyle awoke, Benny was unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. He convinced his father to drive them to the hospital." the woman explained before handing Maxie a file. "Everything else we know is in there. I like to make sure the foster parents have copies of all the information they can." she explained.

"Thank you." Spinelli said. There was a slightly uncomfortable silence before anyone else spoke. "Would you like to introduce yourselves to Kyle? It ... may be easier to start that way. Benny is apparently only speaking to his brother at the moment." she told them, slightly wary on the last bit of information. "Of course we would." Maxie replied, not showing any overt amount of shock over the revelation about Benny. "At least he's talking to someone" Spinelli whispered under his breath as they headed into the children's room.

They both hid gasps of shock at the boys condition as they opened the door. Maxie blinked back tears as she walked over to sit by his bed. "Hey, sweetie. My name is Maxie Spinelli, and this is my husband Damian, but he goes by Spinelli or Spin. We're going to be you and your brother's foster parents." she told him. "Ok." Kyle said, not sure of what to do. "I work for a fashion magazine and Spinelli works with computers, designing video games. You'll have a ... foster uncle about your age as well as one a little younger then your brother and a ... foster aunt about your brother's age. They come over a lot, and I'm sure you'll get along great." Maxie said trying to make the boy feel more comfortable.

Kyle nodded and looked at his hands the same way his brother had the night before. Spinelli sat down on the edge of the hospital bed to get more on eye level with the child. "It will be ok." he whispered. The little boy gave no response. "I promise it will get better." he tried again. Kyle shifted uncomfortably in the bed. Spinelli took a deep breath. "I have been there too, Kyle. I know. It will get better." he said, going for one last shot at a response. The young teen looked up sharply and made eye contact with his new foster father. "I know." Spinelli repeated.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you guys like it! I wasn't too happy with the way I revealed the injuries, but I felt it was an important thing to know for the story and I just couldn't find a better way. You finally got to truly see Benny in the one, so I hope he's as well liked as Benny seeemed to be! Thanks so much for the reviews last time guys! (I replied privately)

The song lyric in the title is from Chelsie Boyd's "Brighter Day".


	3. Chapter Three: Don’t Forget To Hold On

**Chapter Three - All Your Hope Is Gone, But Don't Forget To Hold On:**

Kyle was silent for a moment as he absorbed the information the man had given him. "Your father..." he started, trailing of before even beginning the question. "No, my step-father. I never knew my father until a couple of years ago. I was put into foster care when I was twelve years old and I stayed there for several months before ending up with my grandmother." Spinelli gently and clearly informed the young boy. "Oh." was the simple response. Spinelli and Maxie glanced at each other and silently decided to simply talk to Kyle for a while and leave it up to him to respond.

Maxie decided to start off. "Well, I don't have a lot of family in town. There's Mac, he raised me and he's wonderful, but my parents don't live here anymore. My sister ... she died a couple of years ago, but my 'cousin' Robin is just like a sister to me. She's your doctor. She lives in town with her husband, Patrick who's also a doctor and their baby daughter Michaela, she's almost two!. Do you like babies?" she told him, ending in a question. Kyle slowly nodded. "Good. You'll love Michaela, everyone does." she said.

Maxie gave Spinelli a pointed look and he began his part. "My father, Sonny and my grandfather Mike both live in town. My siblings all live in town as well. Michael is fourteen and he is our miracle. He was in a coma for eight months that he was never supposed to awaken from and now the only sign that the tragedy ever occurred is a limp and some weakness in his legs. Kristina is truly a miracle as well, she survived the same cancer as I when she was only three, she is nine now and a little genius. Morgan is eight and has so far been luckier then the others, he sticks pretty close to Kristina and Michael. All of my siblings are really very sweet. I think you will get along very well. I have an uncle, Ric and his daughter Molly, who is five is Kristina's half sister as well. I have another cousin named Spencer who is also five, they have a lot of energy but they are very eager to please. Spencer's mother was my aunt, she passed away when he was born and I never met her." He told the child with a hint of pride as he spoke of his siblings.

Maxie gave him another look, as though to tell him he wasn't done. "There is also my mentor and uncle-by-decision Jason and his wife Elizabeth. Jake who is three is their son and Cameron who is now almost seven is Jason's step-son. Jake is still really just a baby, but he's pretty easy-going. Cameron is a bit mischievous, but he's sweet as well. Carly is Michael and Morgan's mother and has declared herself my step-mother, though she is no longer married to my father. Her husbands name is Jax. Alexis is the mother of Kristina and Molly and Nicolas is Spencer's father. I believe that is our family trees in a nutshell, so-to-speak. Do not worry, you are not expected to remember all of that." Spinelli finished, taking a deep breath and Maxie smiled at him.

Kyle looked a little shell-shocked, but he gave a weak smile and nodded. "They sound nice." he said softly. Maxie smiled back at him, "They are. I promise." she assured. "I think you will get along very well with them. Especially Michael, he's really not that much older then you - even less when you consider that he ... slept for eight months of his life. He's had it a little rough, but he's very nice. He's smart too, like we hear you are. He is technically a year ahead in school and made up his work when he woke from his coma to stay that way." Maxie continued. Spinelli smiled as Maxie spoke of Michael, she had come to love his siblings as much as he did.

Maxie seemed to think for a moment. "I like watching TV in my spare time, but Spinelli likes reading and messing around on his laptop. What do you like to do?" she asked. Kyle finally spoke up. "I like reading too. Benny ... Benny likes video games. We never had a lot though, but he's really good. And we both like TV, I guess." he answered, coming out of his shell a bit to brag about his brother. Maxie smiled, "You'll fit in pretty well with us then. And Benny will certainly have some more videos to play. Sounds like Spin may have found himself another little beta tester for his!" she replied, beginning to laugh. Spinelli smiled as well.

Nobody spoke for a moment, so Spinelli jumped in. "There are only two bedrooms in our home. I hope that you and your brother will be ok with sharing one." he told the young boy. "Yes, we would like that." Kyle said quietly. Maxie gave him another smile, "That's good.". Spinelli looked up to see Ms. Carson motioning for them to join her through the window. "I beleive we need to be going now, we will hopefully be back soon." he said to Kyle. Maxie looked back at the boy as they walked out. "I hope you feel better soon." she told him. "Thank you." Kyle whispered.

As they shut the door Kyle began to think of all he had been told. He tried to remember every detail so he could repeat it to Benny. He thought it might help calm the younger boy down. They seemed nice enough. They were certainly a lot younger then he had thought they would be, but he didn't really think that was a bad thing. The kids in their family sounded nice too. That Michael might be ok to be around. He didn't dare think they could be friends though. Friends were something he had given up on truly having a long time ago. He was to different from the other kids his age.

Now some of the younger kids though, maybe Benny could be friends with them. Sure they were very different as well, but Benny was so sweet and he was younger. Maybe he could still make some real friends. All and all, this new foster family didn't sound quite so horrible. Maybe. He still wished he just could have been normal. He wondered how this was going to work. He'd seen some stuff on TV about foster care but he was still confused. Did foster kids have to visit parents that were in jail? Part of him hoped beyond hope the answer was no, but another part didn't.

He loved his father. True, he was terrified of the man, but he still loved him. Maybe it was because he could remember a time when he hadn't been terrified of him. Before his mother died they were pretty normal. His dad could be a little strict, but his mother balanced it out. But when she died so suddenly, it changed the man. Suddenly seeming him sober was a rare sight and his anger was taken out on whoever was easiest. That happened to be his young sons.

Suddenly, pain became a regular part of their lives. It wasn't always horrible, sometimes he could be calmed down depending on how drunk he was. But sometimes he couldn't. At first, Kyle was able to protect Benny, but the bigger and older Benny got the harder it was to distract their father from him. It didn't take very long before both boys were becoming masters at hiding bruises. After a few years they were learning how to function as normally as possible with a broken bone - ribs not included, for that was a lesson learned earlier.

Perhaps that was another reason they didn't truly have any friends. Playing with other kids while hiding a broken arm and a multitude of bruises was rather complicated. They both pretended to simply not be very athletic. Reading, sitting on the swings or simply sitting close by and watching while the other kids played. Both boys always secretly wished they could join in. And sometimes they could. Sometimes something really good would happen and the injuries would heal and everything would seem normal for a little while. It never lasted long though.

And so Benny and Kyle learned to live expecting pain around every corner. When you never know when it's going to happen, it's safer to always be ready. There didn't seem to be a way out. It was embarrassing that their father behaved the way he did and even so, they still loved him. After praying for years that things would change, they lost hope. After living without any hope for so long, it was hard to except that they had some now. There was finally hope that things would change. But part of them still didn't want it to if it meant losing their father. In the confusing mess that had become their lives, they were just barely holding on.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yes, this chapter title is from Jonas Brothers. Sorry it took so long to update, I lost the internet for several days over here. Thanks again for the reviews, I love seeing what you guys think!!!


	4. Chapter Four: Alone And Helpless

**Chapter Four - Alone And Helpless, Like You've Lost Your Fight, But You'll Be Alright:**

Kyle's thoughts were interrupted by Benny being brought back into the room. He simply stayed silent until the nurses left, knowing from previous experience that Benny wouldn't talk in front of them. He was still trying to figure out how to best ask his brother about that. "Are you ok? Kyle asked as the nurse shut the door. Benny shrugged, "Ok. They said nothin' was bleedin' inside or anything." he replied softly. "Well, that's good!" Kyle said, relieved and trying to sound happier then he was for his brother's sake.

"Um, I met the people that are going to be our foster parents, they seem really nice." he told his younger brother. Benny gave a tiny nod of acknowledgement and began playing with the edge of his blanket. Kyle took a deep breath. "They're really young, a lot younger then I thought." he said. He was hoping to make his brother feel more comfortable with this idea. He could live on his guard, but he didn't want that for his brother. He didn't think they would hurt them so Benny needed to trust them. Benny needed to feel safe. He would just have to do his best to make sure he was. That may not have worked so well in the past, but he had always tried. And somehow, he had the feeling it might be a little easier now.

"She's works with fashion, clothes and stuff ... looks like it too. Her name's Maxie. He goes by their last name, Spinelli but she called him Spin a lot and said other people do too. He makes video games. Isn't that cool?" he said hoping that detail might make Benny warm up to the idea a bit. Benny looked up, slightly interested. "Kinda." he agreed. "They even said you could help test out some of the games he made." Kyle continued. Benny gave a tiny smile that, if he hadn't known it would be a very bad idea, would have had about Kyle jumping out of his bed with joy. "Really?" the little boy asked. "Really." his brother confirmed.

"They seem pretty close with their families. They talked about a lot of kids. One about my age, a few near your age and some little ones. It seemed like we'll see them a lot." Kyle told him, trying to again remember all the details. Benny looked almost a little nervous that the mention of other kids. Kyle could almost read his mind, he knew the boy was afraid he wouldn't get along with these other kids they might be seeing a lot of and thinking about just how awkward that would be. He hoped he could ease some of Benny's fears with the facts he remembered about the other kids.

"Mr. Spinelli said he has two little brother's and a little sister. Michael is the oldest. They said something happened to him and he was in a coma for a long time, but he woke up and he's almost totally fine now! Said he's real smart too. Um ... Kristina is your age. He said she's a genius and she's really nice, she survived cancer too. Morgan is eight and he sounds kind of shy. He said there's two cousins too, Molly and ... Spencer I think he said. They're energetic, but he said all the kids are really sweet. Then he said there's two other little boys, they aren't related to them though, they just see them a lot. One was seven. Um, I think his name's Cameron. Ms. Spinelli said she has a baby niece too, Michaela." he told Benny all at once.

As he told Benny about the kids he could see Benny begining to look a little less nervous. At the end he looked a little confused. "Michael and Michaela? You sure?" he asked. Kyle seemed to realize how similar the names were for the first time. "Yeah, they said both names a few times. I wonder if there's a reason they're so close." he commented. Both sat in silence for a while continuing to ponder the information about their new foster family.

* * *

Spinelli and Maxie sat my the front desk going through the file they had been given and trying to wrap their minds around all they already knew. Ms. Carson was talking with Robin and going through some paperwork, it seemed that - to Maxie and Spinelli's astonishment - the boys would be released later that same day. As internal injuries had finally been ruled out, there was apparently no need to keep them in the hospital any longer. When they expressed concern that it was too soon, Robin agreed to keep an eye on the boys once they got them home.

So now the young couple was trying to memorize every detail about their new foster children. It shouldn't be that hard considering they didn't know much. The file didn't contain much more then what the school had been able to provide and basic information on their mother's death, but they knew they were lucky to get that. "Those poor babies." Maxie commented. Spinelli nodded in agreement, but stayed silent. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone so beaten up. Spin, ... was it ... was it ever like that for you?" the blond asked her husband. The young man took a deep breath and there was a moment of silence before he answered. "The last time ... I think it may have been slightly more severe. It is hard to tell for sure. I was young and it was a long time ago." he replied quietly. Maxie hugged him.

She pulled away but Spinelli still seemed upset. "The last time we sat here ... it was when Michael was shot." he said. Maxie nodded as the memories came flooding back for her as well. "That was an awful day. That was an awful time." she replied as she hugged him again. They sat that way for several minutes. Both allowed their minds to go back to memories of time spent in this place. However, the last time they had sat in that spot seem to stay at the front of their minds. As that time they had also been there due to horrific injuries to a child. Though everything had turned out ok in the end, it was still a hard time to think about. Forcing that memory away only lead to memories of Spinelli's cancer or other unpleasant times. Even Maxie's memories of past Christmas's were bitter-sweet with the knowledge that the sister who was so prevalent in the memories was gone.

Ms. Carson looked curiously at the couple. Robin noticed and quickly explained. "They have a lot of bad memories that take place in this hospital. People Maxie knew died here and he spent several months a year and a half ago when he had cancer. I imagine what caused this, however, may have been memories of the last time they sat there together. A couple of years ago, Spinelli's younger brother was hit in the head by a riccochet bullet. It was very touch and go for a while and they were told he was in a permanent coma. It lasted eight months, but he woke up on Christmas Eve. He's a miracle." she told the woman. The social worked nodded, that certainly explained it.

* * *

Little Benny Archer sat in the hospital bed across from his brother. He didn't think the people Kyle told him about sounded that bad, but he really didn't like the idea of living with them. He would be scared to go back home though, he knew. At least he still had Kyle. He could always trust Kyle and Kyle would always do everything he could to take care of him. Benny had heard the phrase "it's us against the world" before and he'd always felt that it pretty much summed up him and his brother. They had each other, that was it. Everything was falling apart. Everything had always been falling apart. Sometimes, even though that was two of them, that made them feel very alone.

He was small, very small in his opinion. He didn't feel as small when Kyle was with him. He was trying to push the memory of when he'd walked into Kyle's room the night before out of his mind. He didn't think he'd ever been so scared in his life. He could take anything as long as Kyle was there, but without Kyle ... he just didn't know what would happen, and he didn't want to find out. So when he saw their father with his hands around Kyle's neck something in him snapped. He yelled at his father. He had never done that before. Yelling at him was simply asking for it, and that was exactly Benny's intention.

He knew it would put his father's attention on him and it had. He didn't regret that for a second. It didn't matter what happened to him, Kyle had to be ok because he couldn't live without Kyle. Kyle was all he had. He really didn't want to die either though, because he knew he was all Kyle had. He shuddered at the memory of all that happened next. The moment his father had pushed him down the stairs had quite possibly been the second scariest moment of his life. That was yet another thing to make him different from other kids. Most kids scariest memories were when the lights went out in a thunder storm or something. What kid near his age could have worst memories anywhere near what his were? It didn't really matter, he had Kyle. They might be alone, but they could be alone together.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to get out. Things have kinda been crazy over here. My great-grandmother suddenly got much worse and we lost her Sunday night. She was ready to go Home, she was 87 ... but it's still kinda sad for us. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews!

*The song lyric in the title is from Rascal Flatts "Stand".


	5. Chapter Five: My Heart Is Breaking

**Chapter Five - Deep Inside, My Heart Is Breaking:**

Spinelli and Maxie had gone home for a couple of hours and Maxie had pulled out the things she had bought to make the room look like a boys room and had busied herself setting everything up. Spinelli was opening little toy cars and other basic toys they had gotten that they thought would be good for boys and was putting them in a toy box. 'Nine and thirteen.' Spinelli thought. Morgan was eight and Michael was fourteen, so he had an idea of what kids that age liked now. That wouldn't be the hard part. The hard part would be helping them deal with their past.

Maxie kept running everything she had learned that morning through her head as she put her little finishing touches on the room. Benny and Kyle's room. For a moment she wondered if she was crazy to think she could play mother to someone only ten years younger then her, but she didn't let herself dwell on it. She would do the best she could for them and so would Spinelli. She said a small prayer of thanks that Lainey would be the boy's counselor. Lainey was good with kids, and they knew her. Lainey would be good for the boys. She just hoped they would be good for them too.

"Spin, are you sure I can do this?" she asked. Spinelli walked over and pulled his wife into a hug. "Of course I know you can. You can do anything, my Maximista. You just have to know that you can. You helped me, and you are wonderful with my siblings and all the other children we are surrounded by. This may be - will be - difficult at times, but you can do it. You will be the best foster mother to ever exist." he assured her. Maxie smiled and looked up at him, "Thanks, Spin." she told him. Spinelli smiled back, "You are most welcome." he said.

* * *

Benny and Kyle sat in their hospital room waiting for their new foster parents to come and bring them home. Neither said a word, but they didn't have to in order to know what the other was thinking. What was it going to be like living in a strangers home? What would happen if the couple ended up not liking them? How was this going to work? They didn't know if they should be relieved or terrified when their foster parents walked into the room.

"Hey guys! Are you ready to come home?" Maxie asked. Benny remained silent but Kyle bravely nodded, "We are." he said. Spinelli walked over to Benny. "Well, you're all checked out, but you've both got to leave in wheelchairs." he then turned to Kyle "They said it doesn't matter that you wanted the crutches until your ankle heals, you have to leave in the wheelchair." he told him. Kyle nodded again as the nurse brought in the wheelchairs. Kyle quickly got himself into his and turned to Benny. "Benny, why don't you let Mr. Spinelli help you?" he told his brother giving him a look that plainly said 'trust me'.

Spinelli took a deep breathe before gently but quickly helping the child into the wheelchair. Though Benny was obviously uncomfortable with the situation, he realized Kyle's point. Until his ribs and bruises began to heal, he would need help getting in and out of his wheelchair given that his arm was broken as well as his leg (which was the entire reason for the chair). Spinelli was relieved that the little boy put up no protest, but he hoped the children would soon get more comfortable with them. With both boys in the wheelchairs, they began to head out of the hospital and towards their car.

* * *

As Spinelli pushed Benny into the living room and Kyle hobbled in on his crutches, Maxie shut the door behind them. The boys silently took in the house, it was obvious that Ms. Spinelli was in the fashion business. The room looked beautiful, but not to the point that you were unable to tell that anyone actually lived there. Maxie smiled at the two young boys, "Welcome home. Would you like to see your room?" she asked. Kyle gave a tentative smile back and nodded. Spinelli began to lead them down the hall. Maxie was going push Benny to the room but he began trying to maneuver the chair himself with the hand that wasn't broken. "If you need any help, let me know ok?" she told him with a little smile. She held back a sigh of relief when he made eye contact with her and smiled.

"What do you think?" Spinelli asked as he opened the door with a flourish. The boys slowly took in this room as well. It was painted a neutral shade of blue but there were lamps, pillows and other trinkets with various sports themes or simply ... for boys. There was a toy box by one of the beds and a small race track with some toy cars. There was also a book shelf with some children's books and a desk in the room. Kyle gave the couple another small smile. "It's great." he told them. Spinelli looked around before turning back to Kyle. "Why don't we let you guys get settled in. Your social worker said she can take you to get some of your things in a couple of days if you would like too." Kyle nodded and the couple left the room.

Once they were back in the living room they sat on the couch. "Do you know why they have to wait a couple of days, Spin?" she asked her husband. "Well, the social worker has many cases, not just the young boys down the hall. Also, I believe their house in currently a crime scene." he replied. Maxie leaned her head against her husbands shoulder. "I don't understand how anyone can hurt a child. It isn't right that you, those kids and even your father had to go through this." Spinelli thought for a moment. "There are people in this world who are just more cruel then we can imagine. Michael was hurt as well, though not by a parental figure and not only through his kidnapping but when he was shot. And we can not forget the man who stole Sweet Georgie and Emily's lives. There are simply many kinds of evil people and sometimes not enough people to help." he told her. "That doesn't make it any easier. It breaks my heart to see how hurt they are." she replied. "No, but the more people who's hearts break for children like them and are willing to help the better it can be. And sadly, not much more can be done by us." her husband softly said.

* * *

**Author's Note:**I'm SO sorry this took so long but I can't even begin to describe how crazy RL has been lately. I hope you like this chapter. I finally got the boys home with Spixie!

*Song lyric in the title is from "All These Lives" by Daughtry


	6. Chapter Six: I Am Broken

**Chapter Six - I Am Broken, Into Little Pieces On The Floor:**

The two young boys sat in their new bedroom. They had managed to make it through a rather awkward dinner before going to bed early. Kyle was beginning to think this might be slightly more complicated then he had hoped. Mr. and Mrs. Spinelli seemed to be very nice, but they were little more then perfect strangers. It wasn't easy to suddenly be living with people you barely know. Especially when they needed so much help. It would most likely be about a week before he could get rid of the crutches and until then, it would be harder to help Benny.

He blamed himself for Benny's injuries. He had made their father mad and Benny had just been trying to help him. He still couldn't get the image of his brother lying unconscious and bloody at the bottom of the stairs out of his mind. And now he had to rely on other people to help take care of him brother until he was better. It was his job to take care of Benny, he didn't like having to leave that up to other people no matter how nice they seemed.

Benny was trying to pretend to be asleep. He knew there was no way Kyle would ever go to sleep unless he was. Kyle tended to be very over-protective of him, but he couldn't really be annoyed at that. It was nice to have somebody care. He didn't really remember his mother, though Kyle told him she was great and it wasn't as though their father could ever qualify as protective, much less when their father wasn't drunk and beating them, he never really seemed to care about them, only that they didn't "embarrass" him. That meant always having near-perfect grades never even letting a hint of pain show through in public, not matter how badly they were injured.

They had been told that Mr. Spinelli's little brothers and his little sister were coming over tomorrow and Benny wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that. Both foster parents had talked at length about the children though and he thought they sounded kinda nice. The girl that was his age sounded interesting, they said she had survived cancer and she liked acting. He hoped it wouldn't be too awkward. It would be nice if he could finally have a friend. With those thoughts, he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Maxie was snuggled up next to her husband on the living room couch. "Do you think they're scared of us?" she asked as she looked up at him. Spinelli adjusted his position on the couch so he could see her better. "I do not think they are .. scared of us. They are nervous and scared of the situation. They do not know what to expect. Benny most likely does not remember his mother. They are not used to being cared for and we are perfect strangers to them." he replied. "How do we get them to trust us?" she asked. The young man sighed, "We show them they can. It will take time, but it's all we can do.". Maxie looked crushed, "I was afraid that would be the answer. I hate seeing them like this. We don't even really know them, but they're just children and ..." she trailed off as tears appeared in her eyes. "I know. And we will do our best to help them, however, it will take time." Spinelli replied.

There was a moment of silence before Spinelli spoke again. "Do you think it is a good idea to have my siblings over tomorrow?" he asked his wife. She pondered it for a moment before responding. "I think so. Morgan may take longer to warm up to them then they do to him ... or he might not, you never really know with him. But I think Michael and Kristina will be good for them. If nothing else, they're very easy to talk too." she answered. Spinelli had chuckled at her comment about Morgan and was now nodding in agreement, "You are right, as always my Maximista." he told as he leaned over to kiss her.

"Besides, half the town wants to meet them. Putting off this will only result in a large amount of people showing up at once and overwhelming them." she said with a hint of mischif. Spinelli tried to quiet his laughter so as not to wake up the children sleeping in the next room. "I have a feeling you may be correct about that as well." he told her once he had calmed himself down. In the quiet of the house at night, they suddenly heard something which had them running to the boys bedroom. Frantic crying.

When they saw it was Kyle having the nightmare, Spinelli motioned for Maxie to go to Benny (who had woken up and was looking very worried), while he took care of Kyle. He gently called the young boys name as he whimpered and cried, occasionally frantically calling his brother's name. He continued calling for him until the child shot up in bed, awake in an instant. "You're ok. It was a nightmare. You are alright and so is your brother." he told Kyle as the boy tried to calm his breathing. "He's ok?" the thirteen year old whispered. "I'm right here, Kyle, I'm fine." Benny said softly, speaking for the first time in the presence of his foster parents.

As he calmed down, Kyle's terror fading into embarrassment. "I'm so sorry." he whispered as he curled into a ball. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It was only a nightmare." Spinelli told him. "But I woke you up!" he insisted. Spinelli smiled reassuringly at the child, "We were not asleep." he told him. "Still, I made you have to come in here. I must have been loud and ..." Spinelli cut the child off before he could upset himself further. "You had a nightmare. Everyone has nightmares, especially when bad things have happened to them. I used to have them, sometimes I still do, though not as often anymore." he assured the little boy. "Really?" Kyle asked, as he finally made eye contact with his foster father. Maxie, however was the first to respond. "Really. I have them every now and then too. Especially after I lost my sister, and when Spinelli was in the hospital. It's normal." Both foster parent breathed a quite sigh of relief as the child uncurled himself and leaned back against his pillow.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I am SO sorry this has taken so long. My life has been ... beyond crazy. For about three weeks I didn't have time to breathe. My mom had doctor's appointments almost every day and I had to watch the kids, then she finally had the surgery and I had to handle all three of them while my dad was with her or at work (Translation: Pretty much all day) and when she got home she pretty much couldn't leave her bedroom for a week. And then I had unwanted-vacation-induced-writers-block. It's a little short ... but it's a chapter. I'm sorry. Things are finally calming down here and hopefully, I'll be able to update more often.

*The song lyric used in the title is from Chelsie Boyd's "The Day After Yesterday" off her new CD, "Image".


	7. Chapter Seven: Somebody To Lean On

**Chapter Seven - We All Need Somebody To Lean On:**

Spinelli opened the door and instanted two small children through themselves on him. "Spinelli!" they squealed together as they hugged their big brother. Spinelli laughed and pried them of of him, "Hello, Krissy! Hello Morgan!" he said to his youngest siblings. He looked up to see his other brother standing in the doorway and trying very hard not to laugh at him. "Hi, Spin!" the red-head said as he walked in. "Hello, Little Dude!" Spinelli greeted, using his old nick-name for the young teen. Jax and Carly walked in behind Michael and exchanged greetings with Spinelli before Maxie walked in the room and started to process all over again.

"So where are the kids?" Carly asked as she sat down on the couch next to Jax in the living room. "They're in their bedroom. I think they are still a little nervous around us." Maxie answered. Spinelli looked a little worried, "I'm not sure how to make them more comfortable here." he admited. Jax smiled at the young man, "Just give them time." he answered. "Can we go see them?" asked Kristina, who was practically bouncing up and down in her excitement. Spinelli smiled at his excitable little sister, "Yes, but remember .. they are hurt so I don't think they can play, Krissy." he reminded her. Kristina looked only slightly less excited as she nodded and went skipping down the hallway with Michael following her.

"You aren't going, Morgan?" Jax asked the little boy who was still sitting next to his mother. "Maybe in a little bit." he replied. Maxie smiled and exchanged a look with Spinelli, apparently Morgan was going to be shy today. Jax turned back to Spinelli and Maxie. "Alexis was going to bring Kristina, but she got caught up in a case at the last minute so we picked her up." he explained. Spinelli "That's fine." he said. "She thought that Molly might be a bit much for them, so she stayed with the nanny." Carly added. Maxie looked a little sad, "I think that was the best idea. I don't want to overwhelm them. I think Michael, Morgan and Kristina will be good for them though." she told her.

* * *

Kyle couldn't help but to crack a little bit of a smile as Kristina came skipping into the room. "Hey! My name's Kristina and Spinelli's my big brother! Mommy said you guys are gonna live with him for a little while!" she said excitedly. "We are. My name is Kyle and this is Benny." she said as he motioned to his brother who was sitting in his bed and had just put down the comic book that Spinelli had given him. Marking his place in his own book he turned to that his feet were on the floor and he was facing the doorway. "I know! Mommy said you're nine like me." Kristina said as she sat down on the edge of Benny's bed and turned her attention to him. Michael had walked in shortly after Kristina and was torn between being amused at Kristina and shocked at the injuries on the two boys that Kristina hadn't even seemed to notice.

Michael quickly collected himself and walked over to Kyle, sitting on the edge of his bed. "I'm Michael. That bouncy little thing over there is my little sister. Morgan - our little brother - is here to, but he's being shy at the moment. It probably won't last long." he said with a little laugh. "Mr. and Mrs. Spinelli have told us a lot about you." Kyle said awkwardly. Michael grinned, "Is that good or bad?" he said. That got another small smile from Kyle, "They seem to think you guys hung the moon." he said. Michael blushed. "Do you like acting? I'm in a play at school and it's really fun!" Kristina suddenly asked Benny. "He hasn't talked very much lately ..." Kyle started to explain only to stop when Benny actually replied. "I've never tried it." the little boy said softly.

That was all it took for Kristina to begin telling him all about the wonders of acting and after a moment of shock, Kyle turned back to Michael. "He really hasn't been talking much. Only to me. And rarely even in front of anyone but me." he, attempting to explain. "She's easy to talk to." Michael shrugged. Kyle nodded, "I guess she is. I was kinda afraid that you guys might think he was weird for not talking." he admitted. Michael had a quick mental arguement with himself before answering. "We've um ... me and Kristina have both been semi-catatonic. Twice. We ... weren't very lucky when it came to things we saw." he told the other boy. "Oh." Kyle replied, trying hide his curiousity.

Neither boy said anything for a moment as Kristina continued chatting away at Benny. Finally, Michael decided to just explain. "When she was six she saw someone "killed" in self defense. Then a year later she saw him again, turns out he wasn't dead. When I was little I saw my mother kidnapped and when I was nine ... well, then we were kidnapped so a whole lot really lead up to it, but I saw someone kill my biological father. I guess we were just sorta ... scared silent. We'd never think anyone was weird for not talking." he told the shocked looking boy. "Wow. That sounds ... hard." Kyle said. Michael smiled, "It's over now. It's been a long time and we're better." he assured him.

Michael looked over at the crutches propped up in the corner. "Yours?" he adked. Kyle nodded, "I hate them. My ankle isn't even broken." he said. Michael laughed. "I hated them too. Did they tell you about my ... accident?" he asked. When Kyle nodded again Michael continued, "They had me go through everything when I woke up, wheelchair, crutches, cane ... it was so annoying. I got rid of 'em as fast as possible. It won't ever be the same, but at least I don't have to deal with those things!" he said. "They told me you were in a coma but they never said what happened. If you don't wanna talk about it you don't have to. I just wondered. I'm sorry." the younger boy said talking faster as he went. "No, it's fine. It was a riccocet bullet. Hit me in the head. Sometimes I'm not sure if I have the worst luck in the world or the best luck since I'm still alive. I don't even remember it, though." he answered.

Kyle was quite for a moment as he realized he was probably asking to many questions. "It's probably pretty obvious what happened to us." he said softly. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Michael said quickly. "What happened to me is old news, it's been a long time and it's much easier to talk about. It's fine" he continued. Kyle smiled at the older boy. Michael looked over at the younger kids and laughed. "I'm not sure Kristina's even taken a breath." said. Kristina didn't seem to even notice the other boys as she contiuned to tell Benny all about her play.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I know I took forever ... sorry!!! I wanted to get this out fast for you guys so it's not the most creative title. Next time Morgan will meet them and will see more of Kristina and Benny talking.

Title from "Lean On Me" by ... well, a whole lot of different people.


	8. Chapter Eight: Maybe I'll Get Over It

**Chapter Eight - I Think The Older I Get, Maybe I'll Get Over It:**

"And I have fifteen whole lines!" Kristina exclaimed to the little boy across from her. Benny looked suitably impressed, so she continued. "But It's really annoying practicing with Logan, cause he keeps laughing at his own lines." she said, making a face. Benny nodded in agreement. He had been listening to her talk about her play for a while now, but he decided that he rather liked the hyper little girl. "Even Morgancan say the lines without laughing when he helps me practice." She added dramatically.

Michael laughed quietly before he turned to Kyle. "Logan's actually a really good actor, he always pulls it together when he's actually performing in front of people. She just likes to be dramatic." the red-head informed the other boy. "Is she always like that?" Kyle asked. Michael laughed, "Most of the time. She can get in a bad mood sometimes though - and then it's safest to just stay away. As I mentioned, dramatic." he joked. The younger boy gave a little smile, "Benny's pretty quite. He's really good at video games though. Mr. Spinelli said he'll let Benny test out the games he's working on." he told Michael.

"Spin's games are the greatest! He made a game about me once, I still have it." he the older boy informed him. "Really?" Kyle asked. "Yeah!" Michael said excitedly, before he remembered the orignal reason for the game. "He ... he started making it for Kristina and Morgan when they though I was - when I was in the coma. And when I woke up he stayed up really late for a few nights and finished it. He gave it to me for my birthday." he finished. "Oh. What's it about?" the smalled boy asked. Michael smiled at that question, "It's kinda silly. It's called "The Adventures Of 'Little Dude'". 'Little Dude' (me) is always the hero. He has to escape the bad guys sometimes rescue 'Kutie' and 'Mini Dude' - those are based on Kristina and Morgan." he explained. "That sounds cool." Kyle insisted.

Michael's attention was suddenly drawn to a little brown-haired head peaking around the door way. "Come on in, Morgan. They don't bite." he teased his brother. Kyle smiled at the little boy, "Hi. I'm Kyle." he told him. "And this is Benny! He's really cool!" Kristina announced as ran over to her littler brother and nearly dragged him back to Benny. Upon realizing that Morgan was nearly as nervous as he was, Benny gave him a little smile, "Hey." he quietly said. "Hi." was all Morgan got out before Kristina returned to her highly animated story - all about her play.

"He seems sweet." Kyle commented to Michael. "He is. Once he gets used to you he can talk a lot, but not nearly as much as Krissy can." Michael told the other boy with a grin. "How old is he, I forgot?" the other boy asked. "He's eight. He's growing up a lot. When he was little he used to follow me around all the time, repeating everything I said. He was ... different ... when I woke up." the teen replied. Kyle's curiousity got the better of him, "Was it hard? Waking up after that long?" he asked. Michael was quiet for a moment, "Yeah. Everyone tried to tell me everything that happened, and I caught up with school as stuff ... but I still missed eight months. I woke up and everything was different. I had a big brother and people had changed. Morgan still likes to spend time with me, but he doesn't need me like he used to." he said. "I'm sorry." Kyle told him, feeling a little bad for bringing the subject up. Michael tried to snap out of it and gave him a smile, "It's nothing that can be changed." he replied.

"And Michael helps me with my lines a lot!" Kristina finished. "He helps me practice baseball too. Well, he does the best he can." Morgan added, already feeling more comfortable with the other boy. "He seems cool." Benny commented. "He's the best!" Kristina said. "Yeah, Michael can do anything!" Morgan said with all the admiration a child has for their hero. "Anything?" Benny asked. "Yep! We were kidnapped when we were little and Michael protected us and he pulled somebody from a plane that was about to explode and he was in a building that explodedand he was fine and he woke up when everybody said he wouldn't ever!" Kristina insisted, throwing in the stories Michael had told them highly edited versions of as well as the things she had been there for. "Wow!" Benny said, looking at the older boy in a new light. He sounded nearly as cool as Kyle was.

* * *

"How is work on the magazine going, Maxie" Carly asked. "Oh, it's wonderful! Kate's letting me do a lot more lately and I really love it." Maxie replied, lighting up at the mention of the fashion magazine she loved. Carly smiled at the younger girls excitement, "Jax has been telling me it's doing very well." she commented. "Oh, yes! It's becoming very popular. I never dreamed I'd end up working for one of the most popular fashion magazine's in the country! Or married to such a wonderful man." Maxie said happily, flashing Spinelli a loving smile and she said the last part. Spinelli blushed at her comment, "I'm the lucky one, Maximista." he insisted. Carly gave Jax a knowing little smile. She loved seeing her 'step-son' so happy.

"How are the kids doing?" Jax asked, steering the conversation towards a more serious matter. Spinelli ran a hand through his hair, "Kyle had a horrible nightmare last night, but we were able to calm him down." he said. "Spinelli was wonderful with him." Maxie added, with a touch of worry that she would not be as good with them. "Maxie, you were wonderful as well. I'm not sure I could have calmed him alone." Spinelli assured her. Carly smiled at them both again, "I'm sure the both of you will be exactly what they need. You are wonderful. Now, I would like to meet my step ... grand ... foster children." she said, stumbling a bit over the last part. Jax rolled his eyes as Spinelli and Maxie stood to lead them to the bedroom the children were in.

Maxie knocked on the open door to get the children's attention, "Kyle, Benny, this is Carly and Jax, Michael and Morgan's mother and step-father." she told the children. Kyle smiled shyly, "Hello Mr. and Mrs. ..." he started. Carly cut him off, "I'm not Mrs. anything to you. Call me Carly, and call my husband Jax." she told the child. Kyle nodded, not feeling very comfortable with that, but deciding he'd have to get used to it. Morgan went over to stand by his mother and Jax looked Kristina and Michael, "It's time to leave now, guys." he told them. "Already?!?!" Kristina asked. Jax laughed, "Yes, Krissy. We've got to get you back home to your mom." he told her. Kristina sighed and said her goodbyes as Michael and Morgan did the same. "Bye!" Kyle called as Spinelli walked them out. For the first time in a long time, he truly allowed himself to think he might could have a friend and that maybe, things might turn out ok someday.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I am SO sorry I took so long to update! I had major computer problems and couldn't even access my laptop for a while, but that's all fixed now. But I broke up with my first boyfriend and we were having medical issues with some of my cousins and I ended up in a major funk for a bit and didn't really feel like writing. But I'm back now! Kristina is based a bit on my sister in this chapter, I can just see Kristina being a lot like that. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I'm sorry it's short, but I wanted to get something out for you!

*Song lyric in title from "The Older I Get" by Skillet


	9. Chapter Nine: Midnight Snacks

**Chapter Nine - Midnight Snacks And Conversations:**

Maxie had gone to sleep an hour earlier as she had to get up early to work on some last minute details for the magazine before the next issue went out. Spinelli had lost track of time while working on a new video game and as such, was still awake. He worked with a small team on the games now, but he had already gotten permission to work from home for a week until the boys were ready to go back to school. Though they were out of the hospital, Benny and Kyle both still had some healing to do before returning to an environment where they would be surrounded by other children and could easily re-injure themselves. Kyle was simply happy that he wouldn't need the crutches anymore by the time they went back. He didn't know what Benny thought, as the younger boy still hadn't spoken to the adults.

As his mind slowly left the game he was working on and began focusing on the children down the hall that he was supposed to take care of now, he quickly saved his work and turned off his computer. Kyle's nightmare the night before had broken his heart and he hoped the boys would be able to sleep tonight. He knew there would be other nightmares though and he was surprised Benny hadn't had one the night before as well, or even yet that night. Almost before he completed that thought he realized that it was highly likely that he had and that Kyle had handled things before they heard. Kyle was obviously used to being Benny's one and only protect er and Spinelli didn't think that Kyle would give that up easily, whether he realized he was doing it or not.

With these thoughts he decided to check on the boys before he got ready for bed. He gently open the door to their room just enough for him to peak in, so as not to wake the boys up. Kyle was wide awake and sitting on the bed. He had startled when the door opened and was looking right at Spinelli. Spinelli smiled at the young boy "I was simply checking on the two of you before I went to bed. However, I think I would like a snack before I go to sleep. Would you like to join me?" he asked, hoping that he wouldn't frighten the thirteen year old. Kyle seemed to ponder this for a moment before reaching for his crutches and heading for the door.

Spinelli led the way into the kitchen and headed for the freezer while motioning for Kyle to sit down. As he began digging through the contents of his freezer Spinelli commented that ice cream was the best midnight snack. With a quiet "Ah-ha!" he pulled out one carton and went back to digging. Kyle watched in amusement as his foster father continued to search for whatever he was looking for before the man finally pulled out another carton. After quickly gathering bowls, spoons and an ice cream scoop, Spinelli brought everything to the table. "This is my favorite." he said, as he gestured the the container of orange sherbet. "But I have a hard time finding anyone else who prefers it to 'real ice cream'. So I got you this - Maxie's chocolate obsession." he finished. Kyle smiled, "Actually, orange sherbet is Benny's favorite too. But I never have liked it, so the chocolate stuff is fine with me." he said carefully, still not sure how to act around this man.

Spinelli chuckled, he had someone else to share his sherbet obsession with. He would have to make sure he gave Benny some soon. The kitchen was quiet as Spinelli scooped the ice cream into bowls, but once he was done he handed a bowl to Kyle and began to talk. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked the boy. Kyle froze for a moment before he replied, he really didn't want to talk about it. "No." he finally answered. Spinelli nodded, "I used to hate the nightmares, I still do to be honest. Some days my granny was baffled at how exhausted I would be when I had not had a nightmare. She never knew that I would stay up half the night at times, simply to avoid sleeping and risking having one." he told the boy. Kyle was silent, simply watching this man who seemed to know exactly what he had been thinking and not knowing what to say.

Spinelli hadn't expected the boy to reply yet, so he kept talking. "I never did tell my granny what my nightmares were about, because she never knew what my life was like before I came to live with her. She eventually figured out that I had witnessed my mother's death, even though the police seemed to think that I had not. I never informed her how my step-father had treated me. I did not tell anyone, and it never truly became much easier to handle even though I tried to forget about it. I never told anyone until I told Maximista nearly two years ago. After I began to talk about it, I discovered that it did become easier and I found that the nightmares which had started to happen quite frequently began to happen less and less." he told Kyle, watching the boys reactions the whole time.

The both ate in silence until Kyle finally spoke. "I just hate remembering that stuff. And they're ... they're memories. They aren't normal nightmares. And I hate them." he said, almost whispering. "I know. I know that it is very, very hard to deal with. We are going to do our best to make it easier for you. If you want to talk, you can talk to me or Maxie whenever you need too. And we will take you to Lainey so that you can talk to her. I promise you that it will get easier." he told the child in front of him. Kyle thought for a moment before replying, "Ok. But not tonight. I'm tired, and I want to go to sleep." he said as he limped over to the sink with his bowl before coming back for his crutches. "Good night." Spinelli told the boy as he headed back for his room. Kyle looked back and smiled, "Good night." he replied.

* * *

**Author's Note:**Yeah ... I know. It's been an insanely long time. I've been really, really busy and when I wasn't I've had a bit of writer's block. I've been productive though! I have been working on a project to help find missing children with two of my friends. The website for the project can be found at SnapshotSearch (dot) net . We've gotten several celebrities involved - including Daniel Manche who's younger pictures I use to represent Kyle. I've also had to revamp a couple of my sites and I've had Real Life stuff to deal with too. Anyway, I know it's been waaaaaaay to long so I hope somebody still reads this! I'll try to be better about updating. Oh, and yeah - I gave up on the song lyric titles for now!

_KKJ:_ Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews of each chapter! I love seeing what people like about my stories. I hope you continue to enjoy it. Yes, I think I have made Michael and Kristina a bit different then they were on the show. I've managed to mix in a bit of Dylan Cash and Kali Rodriguez's personalities I think. Kristina has also ended up with traits from my ten year old sister and my little cousins.


	10. Chapter Ten: Just The Boys Part One

**Chapter Ten - Just The Boys ... Part One:**

Breakfast went as well as possible with Benny still not speaking in front of them. Since Kyle's nightmare the little boy hadn't spoken when they could hear him again. However, they knew that he spoke to his brother and had spoken to Kristina as well, so they had decided to give him time and hope that soon he would trust them enough to speak to them. Other then that, the boys seemed to be settling in as well as possible. Spinelli hoped things would continue to go well, as today he would have the boys without Maxie for the first time.

* * *

"Benny, are you ready to become my beta tester?" Spinelli asked the little boy.

There was a hesitant nod and Spinelli smiled and led the young boy to the computer. He had a new children's game he was almost done with that he thought his youngest foster son might enjoy. Drawing the children - especially Benny - out of their shells was proving to be a rather difficult task. He hoped that a shared hobby might help.

Kyle was sitting in a chair in the corner of the living room with his nose buried in a book that Michael had dropped off for him. Spinelli had noticed the frequent glances that Kyle shot at him and Benny and it broke his heart to know that the boy still felt he might hurt them. He knew better then most how normal that was, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt that no matter how much he wanted them too, the boys still didn't feel safe.

He led Benny over to the computer and began explaining the game to little boy. It wasn't long before the child was playing the game. Spinelli couldn't help the smile that spread across his own face at the sight of the small grin on the face of his youngest foster child. It would take time, but they could do this. They were going to help these boys.

Truthfully, Spinelli knew that he would still need to get Michael and a few others to go through the game - a beta tester that won't speak to you doesn't do much good. However, video games were a hobby of Benny's as well and if it made the little boy smile after all he had been through, letting him play it just to play it was definitely worth it. Right now taking care of the boys and making them happy was the most important thing. He knew how long it had taken for him to get through what he had suffered in his own past and he didn't want these children to suffer for anywhere near as long.

* * *

The moring passed quietly with Benny playing the video game and Kyle still reading his books - and still shooting glaces at the both of them every couple of minutes. At around noon, after a short conversation with Kyle, Spinelli got the boy to admit that both he and his brother were rather fond of grilled cheese sandwiches. With a little coaxing, he had the boys in the kitchen helping him fix lunch.

"What should I do about the crust? My granny always cut it off for me. What do you think Benny? Should I cut it off?" he asked the youngest child.

There was a long silence before a little blond head nodded quickly.

Spinelli smiled, "Sounds good to me! I still don't like the crust much either." he told the boys.

After a lunch filled with attempts at small talk from Spinelli and awkward silences all around, Spinelli decided to let the boys go through his and Maxie's DVD collection to pick a movie to watch.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm back! I'm a bad, bad, bad fan-fiction writer, but I'm back! And I will never take this long a break again. That little sister I mention in the last Author's Note? She's now eleven and reading this story. After much begging from her, I managed to kick the muse back into gear and I don't think she's gonna let me wait too long before updating again. I hope you guys liked it.

Now I have a question - how should the movie go? Fluffy little cartoon that causes no issues or something with a scene that could upset the boys? Like the scenes with the White Witch from the first Narnia movie?


	11. Chapter Eleven: Just The Boys Part Two

**Chapter Eleven: **

It wasn't long before Benny and shyly pointed at one of Kristina's favorite movies and Kyle had quickly announced that was the one they wanted to watch. Spinelli had smiled and put the DVD in before heading off to make some popcorn for the boys. He made it back into the room just in time to hit 'play' and start the cartoon. He hoped that watching the movie would allow the boys a few moments to just be kids. After all they had been through, that certainly wasn't too much to ask.

It made for a quiet couple of hours, as neither boy said a word during the movie. He kept an eye on them over the edge of his laptop while he worked. At the end of that movie, Kyle had worked up the courage to ask if they could watch another. The rest of the day passed with both boys calm and occupied.

* * *

The second movie hadn't been over for very long when Maxie got home. Spinelli had happily informed her that the day had gone wonderfully and then asked how she felt about ordering pizza. She had laughed and told him that was fine before setting herself on the task of getting Kyle to tell her what toppings he and Benny liked. She smiled when the boy told her that they just liked pepperoni.

"That was always my favorite when I was younger too." she told the young teen.

Spinelli walked into the kitchen to find the number and call the local pizza place while Maxie asked Kyle what they had done that day and then launched into an elaborate story of her adventures that at work that managed to get even Benny to smile. She heard the phone ring just as soon as Spinelli had hung up and smiled again when she heard her husband answer.

"Hey, Dad." he said.

It was amazing to her that Spinelli and Sonny had only found out that they were father and son a couple of years ago. Despite the highly bumpy beginnings of their relationship, the two had become quite close now. Nobody just meeting them would ever guess that Spinelli had grown up without Sonny as his father. Her husband had embraced his new family and took none of it for granted, even doing his best to be civil with his uncle on the rare occasions when they met.

Spinelli caught her eye and motioned for her to come over to him, once she did he told his father to let him ask and covered the end of the phone.

"Please, ask the boys if they would mind if Dad came over for dinner tomorrow with Michael and Morgan." he said.

She smiled and nodded, and then headed back to the living room. The boys had looked nervous at the mention of Spinelli's father but had agreed as soon as they heard that Michael and Morgan would be coming as well. It seemed as though the boys had hit it off quite well with their "foster uncle's".

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, not quite as fast as I was hoping ... but it's still a lot faster an update then before, right? I really need to try and outline this better... Anyway, I really hope you all like this chapter!


End file.
